Danger Zone Books in Order

Danger Zone is David Gilman's high energy adventure series for older children and teens, built around teenage hero Max Gordon. The books mix boarding school life with wilderness survival, global travel and threats that could damage the planet as much as the people he loves.

At its heart, the series is about a boy learning how far he will go to protect people and places that matter to him.

In The Devil's Breath, Max is trying to keep his head down at an English boarding school on Dartmoor when an assassin comes out of the dark after him. Almost at once he learns that his father, an explorer and environmental campaigner, has gone missing in Namibia. Following a cryptic clue, Max heads alone into the Namib Desert, where he teams up with local teenagers and a Bushman boy while facing down a ruthless tycoon whose plans threaten both the landscape and Max's family.

Ice Claw shifts the action to the French Pyrenees. Max is competing in an extreme sports race through snow and ice when he witnesses the death of a Basque monk who shouts a strange warning before falling into a ravine. Branded responsible for the accident, Max is hunted by the authorities and by shadowy forces determined to keep the monk's prophecy from coming true, even as it points to an ecological disaster that could kill millions across Europe.

In Blood Sun, the danger comes closer to home. A student from Max's school dies on the London Underground carrying an envelope with Max's name on it and a clue to the mysterious death of Max's mother in Central America. Chased by a professional killer and watched by intelligence agents who do not fully trust him, Max follows the trail from the moors of Devon to Miami and deep into a devastated rainforest where drug cartels, corrupt businesses and lethal wildlife stand between him and the truth.

Across the trilogy Gilman keeps the pace fast and the set pieces vivid, from sandstorms and crocodile filled rivers to collapsing glaciers and underground chases. Max is resourceful but not invincible, and he makes mistakes, which gives the stories an edge and keeps the tension real. Environmental threats, corporate greed and the question of who to trust run alongside more personal themes of grief, friendship and loyalty.

Readers can dive into any of the three novels, but reading them in order lets you watch Max grow from a frightened boy into a young man who understands the cost of his choices. The Danger Zone books are ideal for fans of action packed adventure who also like a strong sense of place and a storyline that cares about what happens to the natural world.